On Friday, the Arizona Diamondbacks (82-64) will open an intense three-game home series against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers (84-62). Arizona will enter with a narrow three-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the wild card race while holding off the San Diego Padres and New York Mets for the top non-divisional winning spot. The Diamondbacks have scored the most runs in the MLB, but pitching struggles have led to the club fighting for their postseason lives late into the season.
In an attempt to give certain pitchers a rest and lineup their starters in an advantageous way, the D-Backs shuffled their rotation ahead of Friday’s tilt. Instead of Brandon Pfaadt starting the series opener, manager Torey Lovullo will hand the ball to struggling lefty veteran Eduardo Rodriguez while skipping hurler Ryne Nelson’s next start.
Arizona Diamondbacks Opt for Eduardo Rodriguez on Friday
In a surprising move, it will be lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, not righty Brandon Pfaadt, who will start the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. With an off day on Monday and Thursday, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo rearranged his deck of starting pitchers, with Rodriguez and Pfaadt switching spots. Rodriguez, who signed a four-year, $80 million deal with the Snakes this offseason, has struggled in his first season in the desert. After missing most of the season with injury, Rodriguez has pitched to a brutal 5.83 ERA in six starts. Last season, the 31-year-old went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 152.2 innings.
Instead, Pfaadt will get the ball on Saturday. The 25-year-old is 9-8 with a 4.42 ERA and will receive an extra day of rest between starts. Pfaadt has tossed a team-high 165 innings this season, nearing the most in his professional career. He hurled 167 innings in 2022. The extra day of rest should benefit Pfaadt, who owns a 6.91 ERA in his last five starts.
D-Backs to Skip Ryne Nelson
The switch of Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaddt is one of many changes the Arizona Diamondbacks will make regarding their rotation this weekend. After being set to start this weekend, Arizona will skip Ryne Nelson’s turn through the rotation. The hard-throwing righty has been the Diamondbacks’ best starter this season, going 10-6 with a 4.33 ERA. Since the start of July, Nelson is 5-0 with a 3.16 ERA and 3.17 FIP. Nelson surpassed his career high by 144 innings pitched at the last start.
Instead, the NL West club will move ace Zac Gallen up a day, with him pitching on four days’ rest. Gallen is 12-6 with a 3.55 ERA in 2024. The former All-Star game starter has looked sharp in September, going 2-0 without giving up a run in eleven innings. Hitters are batting only .059 against Gallen during that span.
Arizona Makes Bullpen Move
Alongside rearranging the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation, the team sent relief pitcher Slade Cecconi down to Triple-A Reno on Thursday. In a corresponding move, Arizona recalled fellow righty Yilber Diaz. Diaz went 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in four starts with the MLB club this season. Meanwhile, Cecconi struggled mightily, going 2-7 with a 6.66 ERA with the D-Backs. Diaz is Arizona’s top pitching prospect, per MLB.com. He posted a 3.22 ERA in Triple-A Reno this season.
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